Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Railway Stations

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, furtherto the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 10 April (HL14857), whether the proposed height of station platforms above rail for dedicated HS2 train platforms complies with the EU Technical Standards for Interoperability; and if not, whether the Department for Transport has (1) applied for, and (2) received, a derogation for non-compliance.

baroness vere of norbiton: The proposed height of station platforms above rail for dedicated HS2 train platforms has been designed to ensure level access for all passengers. It does not comply with the current EU Technical Specification for Interoperability regarding platform heights. However, the HS2 network does comply with the relevant EU (‘GC’) loading gauge. No derogation has been applied for as this is not needed at this stage. Further consideration will be given to whether it is necessary to apply for a derogation, depending on the extent to which EU legislation applies in the UK at the point when the platforms are put into use.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they lasttalked with Greybull Capital aboutit contributing to the costs incurred bythe Governmentin repatriating Monarch passengers after the airline collapsed.

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 12 March (HL14267), whether the contribution promised by Greybull to meet part of the cost incurred by taxpayers in repatriating customers of Monarch Airlines is dependent on the completion of the administration of the Monarch group of companies; and when ministers last met Greybull in connection with Greybull's contribution to costs.

baroness vere of norbiton: Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but it does perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. There is no formal legal mechanism we can use to oblige Greybull to contribute towards the cost of repatriating passengers. However Marc Meyohas, partner at Greybull, wrote to the Transport Select Committee acknowledging a moral obligation (if they make a profit) to contribute and help to defray the costs incurred by the Government in repatriating Monarch customers. Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018. The extent of any profit or loss from Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. I refer to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Secretary of State on 9 May 2019, which reported that the final cost to the taxpayer from the Monarch repatriation have been assessed to be £40.5m. This does not include any contribution from Greybull Capital or the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. We do not expect any material change to the final cost to the taxpayer.

Railways: Franchises

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of all the rail franchises in England and Wales being held by companies owned and controlled in other countries; and whether they consider such a situation to be desirable.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of rail franchises currently in operation are held, in whole or in part, by companies wholly or partly owned by foreign governments; and what percentage of total ownership of rail franchises this represents.

baroness vere of norbiton: Ownership by non-UK governments accounts for 29% of the DfT-managed franchise market (based on notional share of passenger revenues during 2017/18). This calculation excludes train operators other than DfT-managed franchisees. All franchise bidders and operators are required to be UK tax registered firms, registered with Companies House and at arms-length from owners. Train operating companies pay tax here in the UK and, most importantly, have been awarded franchises through open competitions precisely because they offer the best deal for UK passengers and taxpayers. Private sector franchisees continue to support key investments to improve services to passengers, including expanded car parking provision, station upgrades, and major new train fleets.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

baroness smith of gilmorehill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the number of electric car charging points in each county in England and Wales; and what plansthey have to increase the number of such charging points.

baroness vere of norbiton: Highways England has reviewed chargepoint provision within 20 miles of the strategic road network across relevant counties in England to determine the gaps in charge point availability and to identify locations of potential sites for new charge points to meet their commitment that motorists will be no more than 20 miles from a charge point on 95% of the strategic road network. Highways England has so far given grants to 5 local authorities (Mid Suffolk, Ryedale, South Somerset, Worthing and Shropshire) to deliver 19 chargepoints and is working with BP Chargemaster and Swarco to deliver a further 59, which will all be installed by Spring 2020. The UK now has over 17,000 publicly accessible chargepoints, including more than 1,700 rapid devices – one of the largest networks in Europe. Our vision is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles, and we want chargepoints to be accessible, affordable and secure. In addition to the Highways England funding, the Government provides grants to fund chargepoints at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. These measures, along with the £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, will see thousands more chargepoints installed across the UK.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

British Steel: Carbon Emissions

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with British Steel or its owners GreybullCapital in connection with the sale by British Steel of its carbon credits; and whether they propose to lend money to those parties or otherwiseprovide funding.

lord henley: I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 1st May 2019, Official Report, Column 209-211, on British Steel: EU Emissions Trading Compliance.

Company Voluntary Arrangements

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to commission a review of the use of Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs), in particular to consider whether CVAs are used in good faith by landlords who have weakened the lessor covenant through previous payments of high dividends or capital distributions.

lord henley: Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs) are a valuable part of the restructuring framework and there are no plans to review their use at this time. The Government consulted on a wide-ranging package of reforms to corporate insolvency in 2018, to enhance rescue prospects and also to address poor corporate behaviour. Following this consultation, Government announced it will strengthen the powers available to insolvency practitioners to take recovery action where value has been extracted from a company prior to its insolvency, thereby increasing the protections already available to creditors. These proposals will be introduced when parliamentary time permits.

Department of Health and Social Care

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guarantees, if any, they have made of the healthcare benefits available to British citizens residing in EU countries post-Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Subject to Parliament ratifying the Withdrawal Agreement, in a deal scenario current reciprocal healthcare rights will continue during the implementation period until 31 December 2020. The Withdrawal Agreement and European Free Trade Area (EFTA) Agreements also give longer-term reciprocal healthcare rights to those who are living in or previously worked in the other country on exit day.Further to this, on 19 March 2019 I laid a written statement (HLWS1396) outlining the Department’s plans for the continuity of reciprocal healthcare arrangements in the event we exit the European Union without a deal. This statement includes specific guidance for United Kingdom nationals residing in EU countries post-exit.The UK has proposed to EU Member States and EFTA states that we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements, in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal up until 31 December 2020.As well as seeking an extension of the current arrangements, we have made a guarantee to EU member states that we will reimburse Member States for treatments that were ongoing on exit day, for up to one year where this is necessary.This guarantee requires reciprocity from the EU or individual Member States and cannot be implemented unilaterally. The UK Government is seeking agreements with Member States, so that no individual, including UK nationals living in other EU Member States, will face sudden changes to their healthcare cover. These discussions are ongoing.The Government has brought forward legislation to enable us to implement new reciprocal healthcare arrangements. The Healthcare (European Economic Area and Switzerland Arrangements) Act received Royal Assent on 26 March 2019 and will provide us with the power to fund and implement comprehensive reciprocal healthcare arrangements after we leave the EU. We have also laid three Statutory Instruments which will give us the specific legal basis to implement our proposal.General information is available online on the GOV.UK website and country-specific advice can be found under the relevant sections of NHS.UK.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 8 April (HL14988),what proportion, if any, of the £3 billion ring-fenced public health funding local authorities must spend on sexual health services.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Regulation 6 of The Local Authorities (Public Health Functions and Entry to Premises by Local Healthwatch Representatives) Regulations 2013 requires local authorities to provide or make arrangements to secure the provision of open access sexual health services in their area. The precise level of spending on sexual health services is a matter for individual local authorities, reflecting local need.

NHS

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Manzoor on 29 January (HL12939), when they expect the NHS to publish its "clear implementation framework" of the NHS Long Term Plan which would "set out how the commitments should be delivered by local systems and ensure transparency for patients and the public".

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has asked the National Health Service to develop a clear implementation framework, to set out how the commitments should be delivered by local systems and ensure transparency for patients and the public. This will be published at the earliest opportunity.

Ministry of Justice

Personal Independence Payment: Yorkshire and the Humber

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in the Yorkshire Region are waiting for an appeal hearing for their Personal Independence Payment claims.

lord keen of elie: The information requested is set out in the table below.Number of Outstanding cases with a status of Ready to List1 - Yorkshire Region2DatePersonal Independence Payment331 December 201844637 1 Ready to list includes cases waiting to be listed to a Tribunal hearing, these cases may already have had an initial hearing and be awaiting a subsequent hearing. The data in the answer are the number of cases ready to list. The actual number of live PIP appeals in the Yorkshire region as at 31 December 2018 is 7421. This figure includes those cases which are not yet ready to list as they are awaiting, for example, further evidence or a response from the DWP. 2Social Security & Child Support (SSCS) appeals are usually registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on an appellant’s actual home address but can produce reports detailing the number of cases that are dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. Cases relating to the Yorkshire Region are attributed to the following SSCS venues: Leeds, Barnsley, Doncaster, Bradford, Huddersfield, Hull, Scarborough, Sheffield, Wakefield and York.3PIP (which replaced Disability Living Allowance) was introduced on 8 April 2013, and also includes Personal Independence Claims (reassessments).4Latest data, which are available, in line with published statistics. Although care is taken when processing and analysing data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale management system and are the best data available.These data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics as they were run on a different date.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Duchy of Cornwall: Leasehold

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 10 April (HL14931), why the Duchy of Cornwall was not approached as a property developer to sign the Public Pledge for Leaseholders.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The initial stage of the Government backed industry pledge was targeted at the main volume builders and freeholders operating in England, in particular those that have developed and marketed leasehold houses.The Duchy of Cornwall does not fall into that category, and consequently was not approached in the initial stage. Officials from my Department will be meeting with representatives from the Duchy shortly, and will raise the matter.

Sleeping Rough

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of (1) imprisoning a person under the Vagrancy Act 1824, and (2) subsidising the provision of a hostel bed.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS), formerly known as the National Offender Management Service, does not calculate separately the costs by type of sentence. The information recorded on the HMPPS central accounting system does not allow the identification of such costs. However, an average cost per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales are routinely published by HMPPS. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year.Information on prison expenditure can be accessed in the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages for each financial year on the www.gov.uk website. Prison unit costs can be found within the Excel document Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison establishment in the ‘Cost by Establishment’ tab.A specific figure on the amount of subsidy provided for a hostel bed space is not available. The 2016 Supported Accommodation Review, published by DWP and MHCLG, showed that the estimated average weekly Housing Benefit award for working-age claimants living in supported housing in England (which would include those living in hostels) was £180 per week, attached (see Table B.11, page 119). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572454/rr927-supported-accommodation-review.pdfThe Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.



Supported accommodation Review
(PDF Document, 1.7 MB)

Ministry of Defence

Electronic Warfare

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a comprehensive cyber security assessment procedure for proposed weapon systems that operate at a high level of complexity.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses a number of information assurance and cyber security activities to ensure weapon systems are appropriately protected. However, for the purpose of safeguarding national security, the MOD does not comment publicly on the specifics of these activities.

Autonomous Weapons

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the Ministry of Defence's definition of an autonomous weapons system since the publication of the report of the House of Lords Artificial Intelligence Committee AI in the UK: Ready, Willing and Able on 16 April 2018.

earl howe: Her Majesty's Government has received some representations on this subject from Parliamentarians. The House of Lords report recommended that "the UK's definition of autonomous weapons should be realigned to be the same, or similar, as that used by the rest of the world". However, the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Group of Government Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems is yet to achieve consensus on an internationally accepted definition or set of characteristics for autonomous weapons.

Autonomous Weapons

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the relationship between increasing autonomy in weapons systems and cyber security.

earl howe: Cyber security considerations are an integral part of the development and accreditation of military capabilities. The Ministry of Defence research programme also funds research on cyber security across the range of military capabilities, including those that could have an autonomous element. The United Kingdom does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no intention of developing them.

Autonomous Weapons

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings, if any, ministers and special advisers have held on autonomy in weapons systems during the last year.

earl howe: Ministers and special advisers have not held any meetings specifically addressing autonomy in weapons systems. However, as investment in technology-led modernisation is a key part of maintaining our national defence and security capabilities, Ministers and special advisers are routinely briefed on this subject.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answerby Earl Howe on 4 April (HL14845), whether the Ministry of Defence adheres to the advice given in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Guide to maintaining roadworthiness: Commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles, published in November 2018, providing that the advice does not conflict with operational requirements.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a dis-application from the statutory legislation that requires vehicles to undergo an Annual Roadworthiness Test and periodic Safety Inspections. Where Defence has dis-applications, the Secretary of State for Defence's Policy Statement for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection requires the MOD to maintain Departmental arrangements that produce outcomes that are, so far as reasonably practicable, at least as good as those required by UK legislation. As such, the MOD does conduct Annual Roadworthiness Test and periodic Safety Inspections to the standard contained in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency guide to maintaining roadworthiness for commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles.

Ministry of Defence: Blackpool

baroness valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in determining the relocation of 370 Ministry of Defence jobs at Norcross, Blackpool, Blackpool Council has been consulted on the possibility of co-locating these jobs with other civil servants at the proposed civil service hub near Blackpool North station; and what assessment of value for money of that option has been made.

earl howe: In line with the Government Estates Strategy, Defence Business Services (DBS) are considering how to make the most efficient and cost-effective use of its property in the North West.Civilian staff employed at the DBS Norcross site have been informed of the Department's planning assumption to vacate by 2023 and due process remains ongoing to ratify the preferred option for DBS's future presence in the North West. The Department is very much aware of the impact these changes may have on its staff and local communities, and officials will continue to carry out the necessary consultations with the Local Authorities and other Government Departments concerned, including the Trade Unions.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Repairs and Maintenance

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain the serviceability of the UK fleet of Thales Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicles.

earl howe: The Army have awarded Thales a Future Support Contract to maintain the serviceability of the Watchkeeper Unmanned Air System from 1 April 2019 for the next five years.

India: Military Alliances

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the (1) tactical, (2) strategic, and (3) procurement, objectives of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the government of India.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Stuart Andrew) to Question 246484 on 25 April in the House of Commons to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones).



246484 - India: Military Alliances
(Word Document, 27.57 KB)

Cyprus: Military Alliances

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding on the enhancement of defence and security co-operation between the United Kingdom and Republic of Cyprus; and if so, (1) why a new memorandum was required; (2) whether the Turkish Cypriot community was consulted; and (3) how it varies from existing arrangements.

earl howe: A Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus was signed in London on 4 April 2019. The British High Commission in Nicosia informed the Turkish Cypriot community in advance of the signing. The main purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding is to place the defence relationship on a more permanent and enduring basis. It will build on the existing annual Bilateral Defence Co-operation Programme to enable closer co-operation across a range of areas of mutual benefit. Planned activities include cyber defence and security, crisis management, exercising and training, and maritime security. Other areas of co-operation will include joint planning, Search and Rescue and officer education.

Home Office

Female Genital Mutilation

baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information leaflets they publish about female genital mutilation; and whether any of these are in an easy read format for people with limited literacy.

baroness williams of trafford: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering to women and girls.The Home Office’s FGM unit is driving a step change in our nationwide out-reach on FGM. The Unit is providing outreach support to local areas and working to raise awareness of resources available to professionals, including training, best practice examples and information on legislation and policy. Resources include an e-learning package, various communication materials such as leaflets and posters highlighting the legislation and health impacts of FGM and an online resource pack for local areas. These materials are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-genital-mutilation-leaflethttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-opposing-female-genital-mutilationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fact-sheet-on-mandatory-reporting-of-female-genital-mutilationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-genital-mutilation-resource-packhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fgm-campaign-materials.The FGM communications campaign and materials were developed following consultation with the FGM sector and the need for easy read materials was not raised during this consultation. These materials are not available in Easy Read format but have been drafted to be accessible to those with a basic understanding of English.



FGM Mandatory Reporting - Fact Sheet 
(PDF Document, 116.53 KB)




FGM Passport 
(PDF Document, 173.59 KB)




FGM - The Fact Sheet 
(PDF Document, 724.93 KB)

Forced Labour: Car Washes

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of forced labour exploitation in the hand car wash sector in England and Wales.

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address forced labour exploitation inthe hand car wash sector.

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report by the University of Nottingham Rights Lab Safe Car Wash App Report, published on 7 April.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to raising awareness and tackling labour exploitation in hand car washes. We have reformed the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, giving it a wider remit and police powers to investigate labour market offences, including modern slavery across all sectors of the economy.Tackling labour exploitation at hand car washes has been the focus of increased law enforcement activity in recent years, with 195 operations led by the police and 19 led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority since 2016.We are also improving our evidence base to better understand the extent of the issue across the country and encourage reporting, so that the police and the GLAA can focus resources where they are needed. The Clewer Initiative’s Safe Car Wash App is supporting this work.

Organised Crime: Rural Areas

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 April (HL15089), whether organised acquisitive crime in rural areas is rising.

baroness williams of trafford: The Crime Survey for England and Wales which the independent Office for National Statistics cites as the most reliable measure of long-term trends in crime does not capture whether or not crime is perpetrated by organised criminal gangs.Some information about organised crime committed against businesses is available from the Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS). Victims of crime interviewed by the CVS are asked whether they perceived crimes to have been committed by “an organised group of criminals”, a “loosely knit group”, or “someone working alone”. It is important to note the subjective nature of this question and findings should be interpreted with caution.The 2017 CVS showed that 39% of business premises in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector that had been victims of burglary thought it was committed by “an organised group of criminals”, an increase of 16 percentage points compared with the previous survey in 2013. Estimates for other acquisitive crimes are not available due to small sample sizes in the survey.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit: Demonstrations

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sources of funding for the anti-Brexit demonstrations outside Parliament; and whether any such sources are not based in the UK.

lord callanan: It is not the Department’s role to assess the sources of funding for those who choose to hold demonstrations, whether or not that funding originates in the United Kingdom.

Committee of Permanent Representatives

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) in the EU law-making process; and whether its deliberations take place in secret.

lord callanan: The role of COREPER is stipulated in the EU Treaties (Article 16(7) TEU and in Article 240(1) TFEU) and in the publicly available Rules of Procedure of the Council.In accordance with Article 19(1) of the Council Rules of Procedure, COREPER prepares the work of the Council, carries out the tasks assigned to it by the Council and ensures consistency of the EU’s policies and actions.COREPER meetings are not held in public but agendas and records of its meetings are published on the Council website.

Treasury

Bank Services

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of peoplewho have no form of bank account in the UK and the additional costs such people incur to access certain goods and services.

lord young of cookham: The Government takes financial inclusion very seriously and is working to ensure everyone can have access to useful and affordable financial services, including a bank account. The Treasury does not make assessments of the number of people who do not have a bank account or the additional costs that may be incurred. However, in 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority published the results of the Financial Lives Survey which found that 1.3 million UK adults were unbanked, i.e. have no current account or alternative e-money account. The Financial Lives Survey report contains further information on the characteristics of the unbanked. The report analyses survey results across the four nations of the UK, the nine regions of England, and by rural and urban areas. The FCA intend to repeat the Financial Lives Survey on a regular basis in future.  However, the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer fee-free basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account. Accounts have all the standard payment features such as Direct Debits and Standing Orders, though no overdraft or cheque book facilities. The Treasury’s December 2018 publication shows that in total there are nearly 7.5 million basic bank accounts open in the UK.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Females

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that female gambling addicts now outnumber male gambling addicts in Sweden; and what plans they have to re-evaluate and expand the policy evidence base in the UK in respect of the gender makeup of gambling addicts.

viscount younger of leckie: The main source of data for problem and at-risk gambling behaviour in Great Britain is the Health Surveys for England and Scotland, and the Problem Gambling Survey Wales. 2016 data showed that men were more likely than women to be classified as a problem gambler (1.2% and 0.2% respectively). The surveys also indicated that certain other groups are at greater risk of experiencing problems from gambling, including those with poor mental health or who are unemployed. However, further work is needed to understand the nature of these associations. Government recognises the importance of building understanding of how gambling related harm is experienced and by whom. Public Health England (PHE) is carrying out an evidence review looking at the health harms associated with gambling and the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (now called the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, ABSG) published a paper setting out a potential framework for measuring harm. Protecting vulnerable people from gambling-related harm is a priority for the Government and where there is evidence that a particular product or environment is causing harm, we will take action. In March 2019, government awarded just over £1 million to GamCare for a project to raise awareness of how gambling is linked with a range of issues affecting women and girls and help to better identify women in need of support. One of the core work strands of the programme is to build data in this area.

Exhibitions: North of England

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they contributed to the Great Exhibition of the North.

lord ashton of hyde: The Great Exhibition of the North was the biggest event held in England in 2018 and Newcastle-Gateshead welcomed approximately four million people to the city over the summer of 2018. Government contributed £6m to the Exhibition. Through sponsorship deals and funding bids, we increased the total budget for the Exhibition was £14m.

Exhibitions: North of England

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the chair of the Great Exhibition of the North was appointed; and who made the final decision on that appointment.

lord ashton of hyde: Sir Gary Verity was appointed as Chair of the Great Exhibition of the North by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon George Osborne.

Exhibitions: North of England

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether one of their representatives sat on the Board of the Great Exhibition of the North; and if so, who.

lord ashton of hyde: Two representatives from the department sat on the board of the Great Exhibition. Helen Judge, Director General acted as Vice Chair of the Board and Martyn Henderson, Project Director of the Great Exhibition.

Exhibitions: North of England

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what remuneration the chair of the Great Exhibition of the North received for that role; and how much was claimed in expenses by the chair.

lord ashton of hyde: DCMS had a contractual relationship with Welcome to Yorkshire (WtY) to help support work on the Great Exhibition of the North. Under this contract, DCMS paid WtY £445k between May 2016 and October 2018. This funding was for Sir Gary Verity’s role as Chair of GEOTN, and for associated support services, including logistical and communications support, from WtY. During his tenure as Chair of the Great Exhibition of the North, WtY claimed £5014.95 (inc VAT) in expenses. These expenses were claimed by WtY related directly to Sir Gary Verity and members of the Welcome to Yorkshire team for expenses incurred during all stages of the Great Exhibition.

Sports: Females

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support theyare giving to women’s and girl’s (1) football, and (2) cricket.

viscount younger of leckie: We are determined to get more girls and women playing sport, something we set out in our sport strategy, Sporting Future. There are excellent initiatives that already exist to encourage women to take up sport and physical activity. For example Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has been developed to get women and girls moving, regardless of shape, size and ability. Sport England are investing in a series of programmes and initiatives to increase participation amongst women and girls in football and cricket. This includes £10m between 2017/21 in the Football Association to help support their aspiration to double the number of women and girls’ affiliated teams to 12,000 by 2020. Sport England are also investing £9m in the England and Wales Cricket Board over between 2017 and 2021, much of which will be used to promote greater participation of women and girls in cricket. This includes a suite of flexible cricket formats to strengthen the pathway from beginner through to performance level, linked to the This Girl Can campaign. The broadcasting of sporting events such as this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup will continue to showcase women’s sport and inspire the next generation.

Public Libraries

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to sustaining libraries in England.

viscount younger of leckie: Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is for individual local authorities to decide how best to provide a public library service that meets local needs within their available resources. DCMS works across central and local government to encourage investment in libraries to ensure they can continue to support the delivery of local and national priorities and needs. The DCMS funded Libraries Taskforce was established, by DCMS and the Local Government Association, to devise and implement the “Libraries Deliver” strategy which helps support and reinvigorate the public library service in England. It works with sector partners to advocate for libraries and to share and promote good practice to help libraries better serve their communities. Arts Council England, the development agency for libraries, funded by DCMS, is providing total financial support of £1.6 million per annum to seven libraries’ organisations through its National Portfolio 2018 to 2022. DCMS has also provided direct funding support to library services in England, including a £2.6 million programme to support the installation or upgrade of wifi in public libraries in England, as well as £3.9m for the Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone fund, to support innovative library service activity to benefit disadvantaged people and places in England.